Okay Chasters, back in L.A. after a rather tumultuous 48 hours. I left off typing out the last few words from Part 1 of the CNN report at 6:30am this morning, and after a full day of family festivities and about half an hour of interrupted sleep earlier today on the plane, I am finally back home to complete the DFF Las Vegas CNN report. Thankfully tomorrow’s not a work day!

So now, we’re at the closing portion of the concert. It was nearing midnight, and the audience had been in the arena for almost four hours by that point. I’m sure with people flying in from all timezones, there were many heavy eyes in the arena by that time.

However, reiterating a simple fact, Charice was the ONLY artist during the show whom I can recall getting a standing ovation from the entire arena after her performance. My memory’s become a bit of a blur since the events of just 24 hours ago, but after Charice concluded “All by myself”, Michael Bolton and Lara Fabian sang a duet of “The Prayer”, which was followed by the closing act of Donna Summers accompanied by Seal.

The crowd definitely got excited during the closing number of one of Donna Summer’s famous songs (sorry, can’t remember the title), and as the song played, out came all the artists who had performed that evening for their final bows.

I was fairly close to the stage on the floor level, and as Charice came out on stage to take her final bow, the thing that struck me was how ‘serious’ she looked as she walked onto the stage.

I spoke with several other Chasters after the show who also noticed Charice’s subdued demeanor on the stage during the final closing bow number. People can speculate as to the reasons behind this, but this was an observation from many of the Chasters I spoke with afterwards who noticed the same thing.

At the end of the day (literally), it was past midnight when the concert ended, and all of us in the audience were really exhausted by the end of the show. Can’t imagine how tired and exhausted Charice must have been at that time, particularly after her power-belting performances that evening.

I asked myself then, “How on earth could Charice now get ready to greet 40 or so Chasters for a meet/greet after such a grueling and exhausting day and night?” At that time, I honestly believed that the meet and greet could be cancelled at the last minute because of how late the concert had ended. However, this is where all of us got to see Charice’s true character shine through once again.

The fortunate Chasters with meet and greet tickets were escorted into a private suite. The gathering prior to the meet and greet was another Chaster reunion similar to the one held earlier that evening at the pre-show dinner.

As Eve was busy frantically passing out the prepared nametags for the lucky Chasters, the rest of us shared our thoughts on how amazing the show was, despite all the technical challenges, and wondering aloud to each other whether the ‘mistake’ by DF in omitting the final four bars of “All by myself” would mean that we would not be seeing that song make it onto the DVD/CD of the show.

We all lamented that Charice was not given a re-do unlike all the earlier performers who had multiple re-takes due to time constraints. The irony is the earlier performers all got their songs re-done ‘perfectly’, while Charice going third to last closing out the show just didn’t have the time available to re-do her amazing version of the song.

Despite this, I honestly feel her performance is so stunning, and the way she hit the final note just simply jaw-dropping, that a little bit of editing should allow the song to make it to the final cut of the concert DVD/CD.

In fact, during the show, when Charice looked back at DF as if to ask him what to do, it felt as though there was a ‘dramatic pause’ at that moment, before Charice belted out that final note. I guess we’ll see what happens next spring when the DVD/CD comes out.

Meet & Greet

At the start of the meet/greet, the person running it from the Mandalay Bay told everyone that it was already very late, and that Charice was very tired, so we had to make the meet and greet go very quickly. The guards were out in full force checking to make sure everyone had a pass for the meet/greet.

So as the 40 or so Chasters waited in the suite, a commotion erupted after a few minutes which marked Charice’s entrance into the suite. To my surprise, the guards were not by her side to create any space around her, so within seconds, Charice was just crowded with adoring Chasters pulling up next to her to take a picture with her and seeking her brief attention.

However, a few moments after that frenzied start, order was somewhat restored, and everyone lined up to await individual turns to get an autograph and picture with her.

The key point to take away here, is despite it now being past 12:30 a.m., and despite having poured out all of herself on the stage just a few minutes earlier, Charice was exuding tremendous positive energy, smiling to everyone, giggling, and just appearing to be very appreciative of all her adoring Chasters.

One by one, Chasters had their ‘moments to remember’ with Charice. I could tell that halfway through the line of Chasters still left waiting, her management team began to appear antsy, because they must have known how tired she would have been, as the clock now struck 1:00 a.m.

I could see and hear Marc Johnston whispering into Charice’s ear that they really needed to wrap things up, and that she would have to end the meet and greet early before all the Chasters had their autographs/pictures.

Yet, as has been the case time and time again, Charice was intently focused on her mission, to ensure that every single Chaster in the room who had come to see her that night, would be given their ‘moments’ with her before she departed.

I was then reminded of all the late-night singing contests she had endured as a child, and how she willed herself to perform her best each time. I figured this would be a piece of cake compared to those days.

So the line kept moving forward, despite the growing feeling that it was just getting way too late for Charice to stay for everyone waiting in line.

I could see Marc continually whispering in Charice’s ear that they really needed to get going. However, I don’t think even Oprah could have prevented Charice from staying glued to that chair, fervently signing every item placed in front of her, then putting on a genuine smile for each photograph with every Chaster.

Towards the tail-end of the event, Marc pulled Charice up and said “Okay Charice, we’re done.” But as I stood just three feet from her, I heard her clearly tell Marc, “No, there’s still a few more people over there who are waiting…” and with that, she stayed just a bit longer, to sign the few remaining autographs (which easily numbered over a 100 during that period of time).

Charice then signed the 8 charicemania hats that were raffled off after the meet/greet, along with a Charice T-shirt which I believe Matt from Utah took home with him.

And finally, after checking to make sure that there was NOT ONE SINGLE Chaster left in the room who had yet to obtain their autograph/picture, Charice waved goodbye to everyone, and surrounded by two Mandalay security guards, made her graceful exit as the buzz from her presence continued to electrify the air in the room.

Video upload by Lantao Island

Looking around, I recall seeing nothing but smiles on the faces of all my fellow Chasters who had come, some as far as Guam like Doc Ed, or another Chaster, who was wheel-chair bound after suffering a stroke, but got on a plane cross-country from Maryland just to have his 1 minute in time with the girl who has touched us all so deeply.

After many more embraces and photographs, this large Chaster family who had come together to celebrate this momentous event parted ways. My group of L.A. Chasters, along with the group from Utah finally got to share a meal of ox-tail soup at now 2:30 a.m. By 4:15 a.m., the unforgettable day/night had drawn to a close, and I began typing away at this ridiculously long ‘report’.

One closing thought before I finally sign off: This summer, beginning with the debut of her album on Oprah in May, has been a truly remarkable journey for us all. The world finally became introduced to this now global superstar, and the future holds no bounds for Charice as we anxiously await her next single and her upcoming appearances on Glee.

However, partaking in the festivities of the past 36 hours has reminded me again of how fortunate all of us are, to be part of this community at CM, which takes us from our individual states of watching Charice videos on our own on youtube, to participating in events such as this one and the daily discourse through the chat and comments threads that are at the heart of this endeavor at CM.

Like I told Charice backstage before the show, it’s because of HER that all of us have come together, and I’m certain that our dedication to seeing Charice reach all her dreams will continue to motivate Charice to keep striving to make us all proud.

Charice, you’ve already made us all so proud of you, and don’t ever let this world change who you are, because that is what the whole world fell in love with long before the gold and platinum records and the Grammy awards. Labyo Charice! Thanks to all for an amazing night of unforgettable memories…

“Charice News Network” Report– Part 1

David Foster introduced Ne-Yo as an artist who would stand the test of time, and Ne-Yo sang his first song which was memorable for his dancing moves alone. A lot of us had thought that since David Foster had never produced any of Ne-Yo’s songs, this would possibly be an opportunity for Charice to debut her much anticipated dance single with Ne-Yo as the collaborator. >>continue reading

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Las Vegas Meet & Greet, Backstage Passes and More!

Some lucky chasters will get the chance to meet Charice at the Las Vegas David Foster Hit Man concert on October 15, 2010. In addition we’ll have four (4) backstage passes for contest winners and autographed paraphernalia for all attendees including posters and souvenir credentials. Several of the limited edition Charicemania logo caps will be given away as door prizes. >>continue reading

I want to comment on the mistake. What mistake? Everything was superb! Charice turned to David Foster at the end and paused for a second longer than usual. Then on cue from David Foster she suddenly turned back to us in the audience and belted that high note on target! We all went nuts! Her first song “To Love You More” had already sent the audience sky high, and I didn’t think there could be an even more thunderous standing ovation, but she got it. David Foster deleted 4 bars of the ending but forgot to tell Charice about it. It didn’t matter; Charice simply electrified the audience.

SUPPORT CHARICE: Go to GOOGLE.COM – Type CHARICE – click NEWS FOR CHARICE – click CHARICE UP FOR PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD. Vote for her under OTHER – type her name on this categories – Favorite Breakup new artist, Favorite POP ARTIST, Favorite R&B ARTIST. Unfortunately, she was overlook. But the reporter says we can do it by voting for her on tdhese categories under OTHER column. Please. Go now. Do our duties if you are Charice Fan, Chariced addict, love Charice, all for Charice, etc. etc. etc.

Thanks to all Chasters,specially to LAfan,Lantaoisland,Ray and Eve.My Las Vegas event experience was so special.Thanks GOD,for his gift to us,The most talented,moat beautiful girl in and out girl now a grown woman.Thank you Oprah,David F. Mommy Raqz and Charice Team for taking good care of her.Cha we Love You Always.God Bless!

You’re welcome zen58. I had a wonderful time in Vegas with chasters from the time I touched down at the airport Friday morning till my plane took off Saturday evening for the return home to Seattle. I enjoyed meeting all of you throughout the weekend and the many faces at the meet & greet… though I must say it was quite hectic at the meet & greet especially, so I will apologize in advance if I don’t recognize some of you next time we meet.

Charice proved herself again to be one of “the most powerful voices of this generation” with her fierce performance of the Earth Song as well as the Celine Dion songs. Charice is gonna soar even higher, no doubt, as she continues to gain recognition for her great talent in blogs such as this: A ROUSING RENDITION OF EARTH SONG FROM NEYO AND CHARICE

Thank you to LAfan for capturing the moments for all the chasters so that we might all vividly imagine what the evening was like – you are a gifted writer. Special thanks also to Arz Bayani, Sideburner Sol, Henry (htinla), Angelia, SoRhea, Ed (s2pidluv4u) for all your help throughout the weekend; to Christine and Jay (UCLA-UST) for organizing the pre-show dinner.

Charice somehow brings all of us together as one big chaster family. My life has changed since I discovered Charice, not to mention my sleeping patterns lol. But never has it been more of a pleasure to serve others than when we are all working to support our heroine, Charice. It’s truly a labor of love for all of us here at Charicemania. Thanks for your support.

Hi Eve. When you have time (as if you are not busy) would love to read about your experience in Vegas in a little more detail. I can imagine you running around, as my father used to say, “like a chicken without a head”. I can see you running from here to there trying to keep things going smoothly, without much direction. Kind of like Charice when someone changes a song without even telling her (hmmm). Anyway, I can see you doing an incredible job and being able to adapt to the situation.

I’d like to thank everyone for that wonderful experience! Driving 6 hours to Las Vegas from Utah and 6 hours back was so worth it! Meeting Charice in person and hearing her sing live was priceless! Charice’s performance was the highlight of the night! To think that there were great stars who performed that night, Charice still managed to make a great impact! Talking about super-nova and big bang! Thanks charicemania and Eve for organizing the Meet and Greet! Also, I’d like to thank the whole LA Chasters and Vegas chasters for eating “bulalo” with us (Utah chasters) after the concert! It was great to finally put faces on names. It sure felt like charicemania’s chatroom only better coz it was live! Everyone was just so nice so thank you so very much!http://i51.tinypic.com/akttec.jpg
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